


Day Ten

by beefcakemish



Series: Spn Advent Calendar 2018 [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-19
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-09-22 12:51:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17060114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beefcakemish/pseuds/beefcakemish
Summary: Written for notfunnydean's SPN Advent Calendar 2018Prompt: A quiet walk in the snow





	Day Ten

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely apologize for this being so late. I'm going to try to catch up this week, but I might end up posting them through the balance of the year instead of cramming them all in by Tuesday.

_“You love him, don’t you?”_

Sam’s question rings clear in Cas’ mind as he stares at the dark sky above him. The house had been a bit too crowded for his taste, so he’d sought refuge on Sam and Eileen’s back porch while the party continued on inside. Or maybe he was just avoiding Dean.

The snow is falling more steadily now than it was when it had started an hour ago, but Cas is reluctant to go back inside. He’d been leaning against the counter as he watched Dean in the living room, when Sam entered the kitchen. The question should have caught him off guard, but he’d be lying to say it did. Staring fondly at your best friend as they joked with the rest of your friends and family was a bit of a dead giveaway, if he hadn’t already been obvious enough the three years they’ve been friends.

Dean looked incredibly handsome tonight, so really, it was his fault Cas couldn’t take his eyes off of him. Though, to be fair, Dean always looked handsome, so Cas couldn’t actually push any blame on him, though he desperately wanted an excuse for his staring. The burgundy sweater he wore, the one Cas had bought him for this birthday last year, paired well with the dark jeans he wore, and complemented his green eyes. It had been the whole reason Cas had bought it for him. That, and the fact Dean had needed a nice sweater for a work function but refused to buy one for himself, insisting a “good” flannel would work just fine.

Cas had turned from the open doorway to stare out the back window and away from Sam’s appraising gaze as the silence stretched on between them. He didn’t have to speak to answer Sam’s question. The guilt and embarrassment rolled off of him in waves.

Sam shuffled closer and laid a hand on his shoulder, as a seemingly comforting gesture. “You know he loves you too, right?

A laugh escaped Cas’ mouth before his brain had thought to hold it back. Head bowed, he stiffened under Sam’s grip and moved towards the door.

“Cas, you don’t have to-“

Shutting the door behind him, he abruptly cut off his friend’s attempt to comfort him.

Now, standing out in the cold with no coat, he realizes he’s overreacted slightly. Maybe more than slightly. There was no malicious intent behind Sam’s word. He knows that. It’s not the first time the underlying tension between he and Dean had been brought to his attention either, and hell, it’s not even the first time that day. Gabriel had tried to question him earlier on the phone after he’d mentioned Dean was coming to pick him up shortly, so he had really needed to hang up and finish getting ready.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Cas takes the few steps down the porch and onto the sidewalk connecting the house and the garage. He just needs a few more minutes. Just a few more minutes where he doesn’t need to school every reaction, every look, and every touch.

The sound of the back door opening doesn’t surprise him. He’s actually amazed Sam didn’t follow him outside right after the door closed.

“Sam, I don’t really want to talk right now.” Cas’ steps pause as Sam’s approach. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before turning around.

Dean is standing a few feet from him, wrapped in his black wool coat and plaid scarf, another black bundle draped over his arm. “Hey. You okay, Cas?”

He nods and takes his coat from Dean’s outstretched hand. It offers little warmth to his chilled skin, but at least there’s a barrier between the cool air and himself. Cas pretends not to notice Dean’s worried brow and cautious approach, as if he were consoling a wounded animal, and not his best friend.

“It’s a little stuffy in there, isn’t it?”

Cas nods again, and suddenly finds the ground incredibly interesting.

“You wanna walk a couple blocks with me while I get some fresh air?”

“Dean, I’m really okay. You didn’t have to come outside.”

“I really did though. Charlie started harpin’ on me about not seeing the new Avengers trailer yet. Then Gilda joined in with some ridiculous Star Trek theory and that led to another argument. I couldn’t keep up. Benny and Andrea were gettin’ a kick out of listenin’ to ‘em though.”

Imagining the scene pulls a laugh from Cas. He can only picture them yelling back and forth across the living room. It’s likely just as bad as the argument he and Dean had gotten in one drunken night over who shot first, Han or Greedo. Cas smiles at the memory of that night. He doesn’t even remember who won, though it had to have been Dean. But it was the first night he’d realized he had fallen in love with Dean. He was so quick to defend the scruffy scoundrel, and so passionate in his argument, much like he imagines Charlie to be now.

Dean walks closer to him, nudging his shoulder to coerce him into following him.

The street is quiet this late at night, and Cas is grateful for the silence Dean allows between them. He’s always loved that about Dean. They didn’t need to fill silence with words all of the time. Many nights they’d spent together, Cas came over for dinner, and then they watched TV together until one of them had fallen asleep on the couch. The company was all the entertainment they’d needed.

At the end of the fifth block, Dean stops and turns his head to the sky. Cas stops, too, waiting for further direction from the other man. They should be heading back now. It’s likely been a good half an hour that Cas has been missing from the party, and surely they’ve noticed Dean’s absence by now as well. He turns to look at Dean and his stomach flips.

He’s been caught off guard by Dean’s beauty before, but not like this. Dean’s hair is wet with snow, and the soft glow from the streetlight catches the moisture, creating a glow around him. Eyes closed, his long lashes seem considerably longer against the light on his cheek. He nearly ruins it, his perfect silhouette, by sticking out his tongue to catch the falling snow, but Cas’ chest fills with such emotion, he can only describe it as a deep fondness for the man in front of him.

Dean lowers his head and tosses Cas a lazy, lopsided grin. They hold the gaze for a few moments longer than they really should, and unsurprisingly it’s Cas that breaks it. He raises a hand to brush the water from Dean’s eyes before he catches himself. Quickly withdrawing the hand, he stuffs it back in his pocket, clenching his fingers together. The ground is, once again, incredibly interesting all of the sudden.

Warm fingers press under his chin and lift his gaze back to Dean’s own. Cas’ heart beats wildly in his chest as Dean steps even closer to him, nearly closing the gap. When he can’t bare Dean’s gaze any longer, he closes his eyes and tries to control his breathing. Seconds later, Dean’s lips are pressed against his, and any control he had gathered, is lost entirely.

The feel of Dean’s lips on his is perfect, and as brief as it must be in real time, the kiss lasts infinitely longer in Cas’ mind. For a moment he forgets they’re on a street corner, snow falling around them, the cold settling into his bones.

After he pulls away, Dean’s focus is pulled to the ground now, obviously finding it as interesting as Cas had just before.

“I was planning to wait until after the holidays. I know there’s a lot of pressure this time of year with family and friends and all that. I just didn’t want to put any more pressure on you, on us, if this wasn’t something you wanted.”

“Us?

Dean glances at him as he raises a hand to rub the back of his neck.

“Well, yeah… Us. Ya, know. If that’s what you want. I know I’m not the best guy you could be wi-“

“Dean?” Cas interrupts, stopping Dean’s self-depreciating comment in its tracks.

“Yeah, Cas?”

He can’t help the smile that spreads across his face at this gorgeous, nervous, goofy, ridiculous, perfect man in front of him. “Of course that’s what I want.”

Before they open the front door to Sam and Eileen’s house, Dean takes the fingers he’d coaxed from Cas’ pocket and tangled with his own, and pulls Cas to him once more, their lips meeting confidently this time, and every time after.


End file.
